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Puppets headline FASD film premier

Date posted: 25 October 2013

A new film, headlined by charismatic puppets, is raising awareness about Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and building community pride in Tennant Creek, Western Australia. The short film, Barkly fights back, created and performed by the people of Barkly had its first public showing at the FASD Film Launch and Community Forum on Sunday 20 October at the Tennant Creek Civic Centre.

Film-maker, Biddy O'Loughlin, shot the film in Tennant Creek in July using Anyinginyi's acclaimed collection of professional quality puppets. The event is the culmination of two years' work on the Anyinginyi FASD Project, which has developed locally relevant resources and engaged with communities in the Barkly region to raise greater awareness of FASD.

Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation, FASD Project Coordinator, Adele Gibson, says the puppet project has been incredibly effective both in engaging the people of Barkly, and providing a medium to communicate a sensitive and difficult issue. 'We are enormously proud of the film and excited about its first public screening. The puppets are colourful and appealing characters, and are a wonderful way to reduce stigma, stimulate creativity and facilitate conversations about what is a difficult issue, without associating blame,' Ms Gibson said.

Sunday's event marks the beginning of the next phase of the Anyinginyi FASD Project; community ownership of both the issues and the solutions.

The Film and Community Forum was funded by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) which was one of 10 Good Practice Grants 2013 awarded to community organisations throughout Australia to strengthen their capacity to respond to alcohol-related harms.